FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Govt faces uphill battle to win back popularity

Govt faces uphill battle to win back popularity

The political atmosphere now is similar to that in early 2006, when there were huge street protests against then-PM Thaksin Shinawatra. Seven years ago there was widespread public outrage after his family sold shares in Shin Corp worth Bt70 billion to Sin

At the time, protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul held a rally every Friday, during which he made allegations against the government (some of which were later found to be untrue). The weekly events culminated in public anger against Thaksin, and led to a military coup on September 19, 2006 that ousted his government. Today, the government of Thaksin’s sister Yingluck appears to be in a similar position to her brother before he lost power.
The controversial amnesty bill is the main reason that her administration is facing its worst crisis to date. It is widely regarded that the proposed law is aimed at helping Thaksin, who has lived in self-imposed exile overseas – after fleeing abroad in 2008 just before a two-year prison sentence was handed down for abuse of power.
Prayuth Siripanit, a politician from the ruling Pheu Thai Party, proposed a revision to the original amnesty bill so it would cover political cases resulting from the 2006 coup. He said he had met Thaksin overseas and that the former PM told him he wanted to return home.
The revised bill was rushed through the House of Representatives, spurring widespread opposition and causing the Senate to unanimously reject it. The government’s four coalition parties have now promised in writing that they will not seek to reaffirm the law.
The revised bill, which would give blanket amnesty to all political cases since 2004, also upset many red-shirt supporters of Pheu Thai, although key leaders of the red-shirt movement remain loyal to the ruling party. A number of red-shirt gatherings have been held in support of the government, and a big rally in Bangkok is planned next week.  However, a big concern for the government is the participation of the middle class in the anti-amnesty movement. Over the past two decades of Thai politics, the urban middle class has played an important role in street protests, which led to the former government’s ouster.
Even some media organisations that have often backed this government have warned it against defying public opposition to the bill.
However, despite the bills being annulled, it is still not plain sailing for the government, as it now faces a number of legal cases. These include a case over the government-backed constitutional amendment to change Senate election procedures that was filed against its parliamentarian supporters. The Constitutional Court is due to make a ruling on the case next Wednesday.
All these political developments come amid speculation over a possible House dissolution soon from certain factions in the ruling party.
Many opponents of the amnesty bill seem to be satisfied with the government’s promise not to pursue the law again. However, other groups want to transform the anti-amnesty protests into a campaign to oust the government, arguing that it has lost the public’s trust and therefore has no legitimacy to stay on in power.
Meanwhile, a range of troubled government policies continue to have problems and the decline in its popularity is getting serious. Anti-government protest groups – the main one led by the opposition Democrat Party – are using these in a bid to further weaken the government’s credibility. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who resigned as a Democrat MP earlier this week along with eight other party MPs, told protesters at the Democracy Monument that “our fight will be over” at the end of this month.
It will be interesting to see how this latest confrontation will unfold. This seems to be a game of patience. A wrong move could cost either side dearly.

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